Berlin distances itself from Washington
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has assured on Friday, May 15th, to be a “great admirer of the United States,” but this admiration “is not increasing at the moment.”
The reason behind this is “a certain social climate.” On Friday, May 15th, Chancellor Friedrich Merz advised young Germans not to study and work in the United States, in the midst of a dispute with President Donald Trump. “I would not recommend my children today to go to the United States, study there, and work there,” declared the conservative leader at a conference in front of young Catholics in Bavaria, receiving applause from the audience. “Simply because a certain social climate has suddenly developed there,” he continued.
A traditional ally of the United States, Berlin has distanced itself from Washington since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, and has been criticizing the US since the beginning of the war against Iran. At the end of April, the chancellor stated that Tehran was “humiliating” Washington at the negotiating table. To this, the White House chief responded that his counterpart was doing a “terrible job” leading Germany and announced the withdrawal of 5,000 American soldiers from the country, a long-awaited decision according to the chancellor. This Friday, Friedrich Merz assured to be a “great admirer of the United States,” but that this admiration “is not increasing at the moment.”
“Few countries in the world offer such fantastic prospects, particularly for young people, as Germany,” he said. He then praised the “social market economy” as opposed to the “pure capitalism” of the United States where “highly educated people have a hard time finding a job.” The German model deserves to be talked about “in terms of opportunities rather than risks,” concluded Friedrich Merz. Since taking office in May 2025, Friedrich Merz has been making controversial statements, contrasting with the style of his recent predecessors.
